Nursing student named 2008 North Dakota Student Nurse of the Year Rhianna Ghents, a senior in the nursing program, was elected as the North Dakota Student Nurse of the Year (SNOY) for 2008. Ghents was awarded this honor at the North Dakota Nursing Student Association conference held in Grand Forks in early March. Elected as the UND SNOY representative, Ghents outshone seven deserving students from other schools across the state. She particularly impressed the judges with her writing and verbal presentation skills during the competition. Ghents shares that “my passion for nursing has come about with my own personal growth and realization of the uniqueness of this craft and the true impact that nurses have on the world. I believe that we are all driven by a need to help each other and make a difference in each other’s lives.” “I cannot speak highly enough about this outstanding student,” shares associate dean of undergraduate studies Helen Melland. “Rhianna is indeed deserving of being named North Dakota Student Nurse of the Year. I have no doubt she will make an outstanding nurse and am confident she will be a great asset to the profession of nursing.” According to Dr. Melland, Ghents has a strong passion for nursing. “It is clear to me that Rhianna ‘gets it’ – what nursing is really about.” Ghents has held leadership positions with many organizations at UND, including two years with Residence Hall Government, UND Honors Program, and the UND Student Ambassadors program. She is currently the director of membership for the UND chapter of the Nursing Student Association (NSA). This position requires her to get other new nurses excited about the organization and what they can achieve as caregivers. Future plans include becoming an obstetrics nurse and eventually a Certified Nurse Midwife. “With any luck, I will someday work with high-risk teenage pregnancy and work to reduce the teen pregnancy rate in our country,” shares Ghents. -- Becky Cournia, Alumni Relations & Development Officer, Nursing, beckycournia@mail.und.edu, 777-4526